Variable speed operating mechanism for cotton cleaning feeders



July 20, 1937. J J;WAL A E 2,087,562

VARIABLE SPEED OPERATING MECHANISM FOR COTTON CLEANING FEEDERS Filed Dec. I 30, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ill J1]. VVa/laqs Mew July 20, 1937.

J. J. WALLACE 87,562

VARIABLE SPEED OPERATING MECHANISM FOR COTTON CLEANING FEEDERS Filed Dec. 50, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J 1]. Walla c'e skim/MAM Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES FATEN'E @FFEQE VARIABLE SPEED OPERATING MECHANESM FOR COTTON CLEANING FEEDERS Application December 30, 1936, Serial No. 118,361

8 Claims.

This invention relates generally to hull extracting cleaning feeders for cotton gins; and more particularly, to mechanism for effecting a variable speed of rotation of the feed rollers commonly employed in devices of this character.

The main object of the invention is to provide a cotton feeder with means, connected to one of the feed rollers, to operate both rollers at a proper speed to take care of the feeding of the particular kind or condition of cotton which is 0 the variable speed drive arranged in its casing,

with the cover removed;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar parts are designated by like numerals:

The change speed gearing is mounted in a casing 6, provided with a cover I, adapted to be secured detachably to the casing 6 by means of lag screws 8, the corners of the casing being provided with screwthreaded bores 9, to receive the external screw threads on the lag screws 8.

The back wall 9 of the casing 6 is provided with a boss l9 apertured to form a bearing for a sleeve II which is rotatably mounted on a shaft l2, the sleeve forming a bearing for the aforesaid shaft. The cover '1 is also provided with a boss [3 which is apertured to form a bearing for the shaft l2; and the shaft 52 has fixed to its outer end a pulley [4 adapted to be connected by a belt l5 to a 5 pulley l5, suitably keyed or otherwise secured to one of the driven shafts of the feeder cleaner, such as the shaft ll of the saw cylinder which projects through the end wall l8 of the cleaner, which is designated generally by the reference nu- 50 meral I9.

55 drical projection 24 mounted to slide in an aperture formed in cooperating guide members 25 and 26, the guide member 25 being formed integral with the rear wall 9 of the casing, while the guide member 26 is formed integral with the cover I (see Figure 3).

The slide 22 at its other end is provided with an extension 211, pivotally connected to a pair of arms 23 and 29, projecting upwardly from a ring hearing 36 forming one of the elements of a friction clutch. The other element of the friction clutch comprises a hub 35, keyed to one end of a feed roller shaft 32 projecting through the end wall 53 of the feeder. The hub is provided with a series of notches 33, inv each of which is provided a roller 36, pressed normally toward the periphery of the hub by means of the springs 35 seated in recesses formed in the projecting arms 36' of the hub. The ring bearing 3!} and the hub and roller element just described, constitute a very common form of friction clutch, and therefore need not be further described.

To oscillate the ring bearing 36 about the hub 35, the slide :72 has formed integral therewith, a downwardly projecting plate 31 extending substantially across the entire width of the casing 6 5 (see Figure 3). The plate 3? extends below the line joining the axes of the shafts i2 and 32 a distance sufficient to ensure proper reciprocation by the eccentric 261 A second ring bearing 3d is freely mounted on the shaft 32. The clutch elements within this ring bearing 39 are structurally the same as those already described in connection with the ring bearing These elements are, therefore, identified with the same reference numeral primed, as 3' shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The slide 23 is provided at one end with a cylindrical projection 38, mounted to slide in cooperating guide members 3d and ii the member 39 being formed integral with the back wall 9 of the casing 6 and the member ill being formed integral with the inside wall of the cover I (see Figure 3). The other end of the slide 23 is provided with an extension M, which is pivotally connected to the arms 28 and 29, extending downwardly from the ring hearing 30'.

A compression spring 42 surrounds the projection 24 and abuts at one end against the coopcrating guide members 25 and 2B, the other end abutting against a collar 53, suitably secured to the projection 2 A compression spring 44 also surrounds the projection 38 and abuts at its opposite ends against the cooperating guide members 39 and M5, and'a collar 65 suitably secured to the projection 38. A plate l6 projects updrawings. 1 to a rod 5|, which is provided atits free end, with wardly from the slide 23 above the line joining the axes of the shafts l2 and 32, and extends substantially across the entire width of the casing 6--see Figure 3.

It will be obvious from inspection of Figure 2 of the drawings, that rotation of the eccentric 20 will effect, through its wiping action on the plates 31 and 46, the oscillation of the ring bearings 30 and 3D to impart rotation to the feed roller shaft 32. It will be apparent also that the rate of rotation of the shaft 32 will depend upon the throw of the arms which project from the ring bearings. In order to regulate this throw, the sleeve H is provided at its opposite ends with stops 4! and 48, see Figure 2, adapted to be rotated into position to contact with the plates 31 and 46, respectively, and thereby limit the throw of the ring bearings 30 and 30. I

The sleeve Il may be rotated into the desired adjusted position by means of an arm 49 which is provided at one end with a hub 50 suitably keyed to the sleeve II, as shown in Figure 4 of the The free end of the arm 49 is pivoted a handle 52 arranged in convenient position on the end wall l8 of the cleaning feeder. The rod 5| may be provided with a series of notches 53, adapted to seat in one end of a flange 54, suitably secured to, or forming a part of the end wall of the cleaning feeder. V

' The wall of the casing 6 may be provided with any desired number of internally screwthread bosses 55, adapted .to receive lag screws (not shown) extending through the wall l8 of the feed. These bosses 55 form spacers for the cas ing 6 to permit proper operation of the stop adjusting arm 49 and its operating rod 5|. 1 These are details of construction which may be varied as desired to suit the structural details of the machine to which the mechanism may bear)- plied.

It is believed the operation of this change speed,

mechanism will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without further description.

Numerous variations may doubtless be devised by persons skilled in the art without departing from the principles of my invention. I, therefore, desire no limitations to be imposed on my.

invention, except such as are indicated in the appended claims. r

What I claim is:

1. A variable speed drive comprising a casing having spaced apart substantially parallel walls, a driving shaft journaled in said walls, a driven shaft extending into said casing parallel to the driving shaft, a pair of friction ratchets mounted on the driven shaft and each including a bearing ring having an arm extending radially therefrom and in a direction opposite to that of the arm on the adjacent ring, slides pivoted to said arms and mounted to' reciprocate in said casing parallel to a line joining the axes of said shafts, each slide havinga plate fixed thereto and extending across said line, an eccentric fixed to said driving shaft and interposed between said plates, yielding means for maintaining said plates in contact with said eccentric onthe opposite sides of the axis of said driving shaft, and means rotatable on said driving shaft to limit the reciprocation of said slides toward the axis of said driving shaft.

2. The variable speed drive set forth in claim 1, and in which'the last named means includes a sleeve rotatable on the. drive shaft, stops extending in opposite directions from'said sleeve, and means for adjusting said sleeve angularly about said drive shaft to limit the reciprocaticns of said slides toward the axis of said drive shaft.

3. A variable speed drive comprising a casing having substantially parallel spaced apart walls, a driving shaft journaled in said walls, a driven 5 shaft extending into said casing substantially parallel to the driving shaft, friction clutches mounted on the driven shaftadjacent to each other, and each including an arm extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the driven 10 shaft and in a direction opposite to that of the arm on the adjacent clutch, slides mounted in said casing toreciprocate therein parallel to a line joining the axes of said shafts, each slide being pivotally connected to one of said arms, 15 plates extending from said slides across said line on opposite sides of the axis of said driving shaft, an eccentric fixed to said driving shaft and interposed between said plates, yielding means for holding the slides in position to maintain 2O 1 their plates in contact with said eccentric, whereby the rotation of the drivingshaft reciprocates the slides simultaneously in, opposite directions to oscillate said arms and drive said driven shaft, andmeans to vary themovements of said '25 slides toward the axis of the driving shaft.

4. The device set forth in claim 3 in which the last named means comprises a sleeve rotatable on the driving shaft, a pair of stops extending in opposite directions from said sleeve, meansfor 30 adjusting the sleeve angularly about the axis of the driving shaft, and means for locking the sleeve in angularly adjusted position.

5. The device set forth in claim 3 in which the last named means comprises a pair of stops ex- 35 tending in opposite directions from and rotatable about said driving shaft, and mechanism for adjusting said means to holdthe stops in positions to limit the reciprocation of said slides toward the throw of the friction clutches to determine the 'speed of rotation of the driven shaft.

6. A variable speeddrive comprising a casing, a shaft journaled in said casing, a pair of friction ratchets mounted on said shaft and each in 5 eluding a bearing ring having an arm extending radially therefrom and in a direction opposite to that of the arm on the other ring, slides pivoted to'said arm and mounted to reciprocate parallel to each other on opposite sides of the axis of said 5 shaft, means for reciprocating said slides, and means for varying the distances of reciprocation of the slides in one direction to vary the throw of said arms and thereby vary the speed of rotation of said shaft. 55

7. The device set forth in claim 6 in which the last named means includes a counter shaft journaled in said casing, an eccentric fixed to said counter shaft, a plate extending from each of saidslides'across the line joining the axes of said gg shafts, and on opposite sides of said eccentric, yielding means for holding said slides with their plates in contact with the opposite sides of said eccentric, and stop mechanism angularly adjustable on said counter shaft into the path of movement of said plates to limit the reciprocation of the slides toward the axis of the counter shaft and thereby vary the speed of rotation of the'feed roller shaft.

,8. The device set forth in claim 6 in which the 7 With their plates in contact with the diametrically opposite sides of said eccentric, a sleeve angularly adjustable on said counter shaft, stops extending radially in opposite directions from said sleeve, means for angularly adjusting said sleeve to position said stops in the path of movement of said plates to limit the reciprocation of the slides carrying them and thereby vary the speed of rotation of the feed roller shaft, and means for locking said sleeve with its stops in angularly adjusted position.

JEFFREY JOHN WALLACE. 

